Rise of the Combines
by TheHOBOFluffy
Summary: 100 years in the future, long since the days of Red, the world of Pokemon has changed, thanks to one man; Rein Natsume, who created a device to fuse humans and Pokemon together. After forcefully creating the Combines (Pokemon and human fusions) wars broke out, but in the aftermath, the world has finally begun to return to 'normal', but can Ark and Serina undo the damage of Rein?


"Oh come on, child." A middle-aged woman yelled from the landing of a staircase.

"In a minute, mom. I'm kinda in the middle of something." I lazily called back.

From below, I could hear the sounds of my mother shuffling around to the kitchen, a distinct sound of a drawer opening, metal and wood clammering together, and a loud crash to signify my mother's quickly rising irritation with me and my inability to move at a proper speed. Little did she know that I had been up all night in anticipation for this big day. But there wasn't much time left before she would be up the stairs and asserting herself into my room. In fact...

BAM.

Before I could finish the thought, my bedroom door was thrown open, and my short figure stood with my pants down around my ankles, as I was reaching to pull them up. Prior to getting dressed, I was role-playing a little bit about my exciting new life ahead of me. Unfortunately, I didn't have my priorities quite straight. I was a dreamer, after all, and today was the day my dreams would finally come true. The day I get away from my mother and begin my travels as a... Wait for it... Pokemon Master. But before any of that could actually happen, I would have to survive the unrivalled fury of my overly aggressive mother.

"Ark!" She proclaimed, with a loud screech in her voice, "I pray that you weren't..."

"No!" I snapped back, seeing the disgust in her face, and her grip on her weapon of choice, the 'Tri-Slit-Spatula', practically crushed the handle beneathe her wrinkly, vain-riddled hand. "I was just getting dressed!"

"Then what the hell were you doing?" Her loud screech turned to a quiet sigh as she raised her free hand to her forhead and covered part of her face.

"Being me, of course." I couldn't help but prod the bear. It was an unusual trait in most people, but for some reason my mother calmed down whenever I said something stupidly obvious like that. But, as usual, it worked. Her hand dropped, and with a quick turn, she left the room and returned downstairs, leaving me to finish getting ready.

Fortunately, I'd already slipped on my shirt, overshirt, and fresh pair of underwear prior to her near assault. All that was left after the pants was my calling card. The one thing that made me special as a future trainer. All the greats had a signature. Ash Ketchum had his hat, Red had his silent protagonist angle, Joey had his Rattata (which was in the top percentage of Rattata), and then there's me. What's my signature? Believe it or not it was a gift from my mom- A scarf. It was a gift given a long time ago, so it's a little small on me now, but the whole thing is white, but at the ends there is a holder for three Pokeballs on each side, and the ends were shaped like wings, each with a different color to represent a different elemental type.

My mother and I didn't used to always have such a strange relationship, but after dad left, she became bitter and resentful to the world, violent and aggressive. I'm a teenager, only just turning 16 today, and starting my journey a little late compared to the other kids, who were majoirtively 10 years old, in our lovely little town of Basil.

Someone, unfortunately, felt that all of the cities and towns in our region of the world needed to be named after herbs and spices. I mean it could be worse, though. They could have been named after floral arrangements or something.

"Ark!" Mom shouted from the front door at the base of the stairs, "Get your blonde haired, scrawny ass down here now and get in the damn car before I leave you here and adopt a new 'Pokemon Master'."

After finally getting my scarf around my neck and grabbing my pre-packed backpack, I decided to take one last look at my bedroom. Above the bed on a simple wooden shelf were some collectible knick-knacks and antique toys. My parents were very supportive of my dreams, and they encouraged me often with these little gifts. One of those gifts in particular was the very same Voltorb alarm clock that Ash Ketchum smashed on his very first day as a trainer.

Among other things, like a Swellow statue, a Snorlax bean bag chair, and other miscellaneous things, rested my most prized and valuable piece of history- The original Pokedex, given to Red and his rival, Green, (or was it Blue? I can never remember.), the grandson of the late Professor Oak. Of course, these guys were true heroes of our world, and only one man has ever held a candle to their flame in the past 100 years. Rein Natsume.

Rein was a man unlike any other. He loved Pokemon, he loved people. Hell, he loved every single thing in this world, and made it his duty to protect this world and everyone in it. But though he was incredibly kind, he was an unstoppable force. He was highly intelligent, calm, and always seemed to be one step ahead of his opponents at all times. As a trainer, not even the legends of 100 years ago could stand a chance. His prowess at battling was unmatched, and with his highly scientific mind he was nearly impossible to defeat, always finding new and creative ways to bring out the fullest potential of everything around him.

But one day, 20 years ago, before I was even born, Rein turned against the world. After ridding the world of evil organizations, he devoted himself to a life of science and research. Rein loved Pokemon, as I said before, but words can't explain it. He wanted to know everything there was to know. He mastered everything that was ever put in front of him, and he understood and comprehended everything with ease, but there was one exception. He could never understand what it felt to actually _be_ a Pokemon. Many of his years were spent alone in isolation, locked away in his lab, conducting research and experiments based on the ludicrous theory that humans and Pokemon could become one with each other, which was an idea based on events almost a century before then. A scientist had once fused two Pokemon together, but the whole concept of it was too much for me to understand when it was told to me.

To everyone's surprise, Rein had succeeded in his research and created a device that did exactly what no one thought possible. Rein had become one with a Pokemon. But the Pokemon he'd chosen was one that no one could predict, and in regards to its power, no one saw it coming. Ditto. Ditto was his choice, and though it would seem silly, it gave him the ability to become any man, woman, child, or Pokemon at his whim. Regular trainers quickly learned, during his reign of destruction, that without the restrictions of having to command your Pokemon, the difference in strength was astronomical. But it wasn't enough for Rein to be the strongest, and he wanted others to know his power for themselves.

In Rein's pursuit for a worthy opponent, he travelled around the globe, using what we call the 'DNA Splicer' to forcefully combine people with Pokemon, destroying any towns and any person that failed to comply. Who was there to stop the 'Hero of the World'? Those people, those cities, no one stood a chance. No one was safe from his rampage. Wars broke out, and the world changed. There became separate towns of people; those who managed to escape the calamity, and those who, in the eyes of the escapists, were traitors following Rein. After many years, the wars ended, and the two races began to live in harmony once again. Or at the very least they were trying.

There still exists much hatred and discrimination from both sides, and the two populations still don't live within the same cities, but things have gotten better. But of course there's a great deal of tention still floating around. People and Combines (as we call them) still have some trust issues with each other. In any case, our two populations have only been in times of peace with each other for about two years, so there's still very much that needs to be worked on and dealt with. But for now, we live in times of peace, and because of this fact, my mom finally feels safe letting me pursue my dreams.

"ARK! You are going to be the last one there! Everyone is going to have their starters selected, and you're going to be left with the one nobody wants unless you get your ass in gear and get in the damn car!" Mom continued to yell from the front door.

I turned around, finally ready to set off, but first I had one thing left to do. In my shirt pocket was a note I'd written for my mom the night before. Though she was a violent and angry woman, I knew deep down that she really did love me and want the best for me, but she had some interesting ways of showing it. I wanted her to know how much I love her, and that no matter what happens I always will. I slipped the note on my desk, which was set up right next to my door and began my fateful decent to the foyer where my mother was waiting with a typical scowl on her face holding the door open and her keys gripped tightly in her hand.

Each step down the stairs had me growing more and more excited, until finally, I was there. Two feet away from the door, and with everything packed and ready to go, my mom grabbed me by the scarf and dragged me outside into the clear spring weather, without any hesitation or sense of care. This is how my journey begins. And to be perfectly honest, it set the mood for what would undoubtedly be the most exciting time of my life.

CHAPTER 1

The car ride began as one would expect a car ride to begin with their overly bizarre mother and a pocket full of dreams. It was awkward, she didn't know what to say, and neither of them spoke to each other for most of the 20 minute trip. Ark most just stared out the window, admiring his last view of town for a long time. The trees, the roads, the small houses and windmills lining the main road through town... All of the little details he'd never paid much mind to before stuck out so vividly on this one last ride. To Ark, it was a strange, unreal feeling, as though he'd never seen the town before.

"Mom..." Ark said quietly.

"Shut up." She replied quickly. "We're here."

The tires of the car screeched and skid along the dirt neatly into a parking space of the packed lot outside of Professor Cedric Cedar's lab. Even 100 years since the creation of the Pokedex and the start of Red's journey, the starting point of almost all trainers remained at the local professor's laboratory. Some traditions, even after the calamity, never changed.

Professor Cedar was a young, eccentric professor, basing most of his research on Pokemon Genetics. He was only a child when the calamity happened, but he was one of the few who managed to escape Reins wrath, and as such he made it his mission to try to reverse the effects of the DNA Splicer and return the world to its former self. As he believes, Rein had disappeared before reaching Basil, while others believe Rein held a soft spot for the town, as it was where he started himself. Back then the lab was run by Professor Pine, an older man who was also interested in genetic research, and Professor Cedar's mentor. Rumor had it that he assisted Rein with his research, but during the devastation he disappeared without a trace.

"Ark. Stop daydreaming and get out of the damn car." Mom, despite her language, was doing her best to encourage Ark to go live his dreams instead of worrying about the nervous feeling he'd gotten along the way to the lab.

Ark sighed, knowing full well that his mom knew him a lot better than he gave her credit for. He never had to say anything and she always just knew. It warmed his heart, and he gave a her a quick smile before unbuckling his seat belt and opening the door. But before he could step out of the car, in the middle of turning, she gave him a firm, flat-handed pat and a quick rub on the back. Ark turned, and he was met with a smile, and without another word, he stepped out of the car, closed the door, and began to walk toward the main entrance of the lab. Not 10 steps away, his mom quickly peeled out and sped away, kicking up a massive dust cloud that enveloped Ark, covering his freshly washed gray overshirt is a thin layer. The perfect way to meet his fellow trainers...

As soon as the dust settled he continued his walk, admiring the cars of the parents of his future rivals, most of whom were likely to be many years younger than him. It didn't matter, really. Ark was just looking forward to finally getting a new friend and partner, a new professor to call with updates and consult, a new rival... Basically, Ark was just excited for everything, even the traditional battle with his inevitable personal rival.

Upon reaching the front doors and walking into the main lobby, Ark looked at the clock. A very large digital clock loomed over the first floor in the lobby, hanging above the front desk, just below the railing to the second floor. It almost seemed like it was screaming that he was late, ringing out the turn of the hour over to 12 P.M. The orientation was starting at that exact moment. In a small panic, Ark rushed to the desk, meeting the smiling face of the secretary.

"Hello there." The lady said sweetly. "Don't worry! We get one of you every year. The professor has become accustomed to the yearly straggler, so he doesn't start the orientation until 5 minutes after the designated time." She never stopped smiling as she pointed to the stairs on either side of the desk leading up to the second floor. "Just take the stairs and the group will be waiting for you just on the other side of the main double doors. And if they've moved, they'll be in the first room on the left."

"Th.. Thank you!" Ark stamerred and fumbled, scrambling up the stairs as quickly as possible, almost losing his balance. At the top he stumbled forward, caught his balance, and practically crashed through the main doors, which swung open.

He lost his balance in his entrance and fell forward into a roll. His roll, however, was abrubtly stopped by a firm foot right in his face. His face stung from the force, but the embarassment stung even more, having just made a joke of himself in front of everyone, including Professor Cedar.

"You should probably stand up." A girl's voice fell from above. "You aren't exactly going to see anything under my foot."

Ark felt his face flush, but couldn't work up the nerve to say anything in response. He knew this girl was right, but what he didn't know was who this girl was. He knew everyone in town, especially the few people his own age, but judging by her voice and the size of the shoe resting on his face, she was definitely his age, but not from town.

"Come on." She willed blandly, "Get up and let's get going. We can deal with introductions later."

She removed her foot and lowered her hand to help him up. Ark hadn't quite regained his vision, but when he looked up he saw the face of a really cute girl with long, pink hair, tied into a neat ponytail with a highly unusual tie made up of metalic white feathers.

"Sure thing." Ark said with a slight blush of embarassment as he reached for her hand and stood himself up.

The rest of the kid were chuckling a little bit as they watched it all happen. When Ark took a quick look around, there were 5 kids. One female, the rest male, all ranging in age, but all of them younger than himself, all of which were standing next to their parents who all shared the same proud look for their children. But the girl who helped him seemed to be alone, just like him. Ark's mom said she had an important errand she had to run, so she wouldn't be able to go with him through the orientation.

Ark knew his mom was always busy since his dad left, so he never really expected her to be there all too often. He wasn't mad or resentful or anything. Ark understood quite well what she had to do to support the two of them for the three years it'd been since his father took off. But what was this girl's story? Where were her parents at?

"Welcome to your first day as Pokemon trainers!" Professor Cedar, with his elegant voice, managed to silence everyone around and call their attention straight to him as he stood with open arms at the end of the hall, slowly approaching.

He certainly did look eccentric. His hair was medium length and wavy, jet black, with a lab coat about two sizes too big, walking with a strange sort of swagger, being followed by what one would assume to be his first Pokemon all grown up, a Serperior. There was something strange about him, outside of all of those things, but Ark couldn't quite put his finger on it. Like he had a sort of inquisitve idea that was waiting to find a way out.

"As I'm sure you're well aware," he continued. "the world of Pokemon is a grand, wonderous place. However, it is also dangerous. Before you leave here today, and as a major part of this orientation, you will be given one question to answer." He slowly approached the group of them, the smile on his face starting to fade. "How you choose to answer this question will determine whether or not you are fit to become a trainer." He suddenly stopped his progress. "But I will also be asking other questions throughout the orientation to ascertain whether or not you understand what it means to be not only a trainer, but a good person. The same goes for you, the parents." He darted everyone a look, making sure to lock eyes and gain everyone's attention. "Should any of you fail to satisfactorily answer my questions, the child in question will not be embarking on their journey this year."

"Hey now!" One of the fathers lowdly exclaimed. "What do us parents have to do with our children meeting your requirements!?"

A small murmur of agreement hummed from the group. All except from Ark and the nameless girl.

"Excellent question." Cedar said as he surveyed the man. "The first question of the day, in fact!" He gestured toward Ark. "Care to give us an answer, young man?"

Ark felt as though he was being targetted for his lack of a parental figure, but didn't fail to at least answer. "Because parents are a key role in a child's life, and the professor would like to know that the child is being brought up by respectable people?"

Professor Cedar noticed the questioning hint in Ark's voice, and suddenly his smile was gone. "Are you sure about that?" He tilted his head and widened one eye, with his gaze focused intently on Ark.

It took a moment for Ark to respond, but he replied with a firm "Yes."

After another brief moment, the professor returned to his usual, smiling self, and gave Ark a single clap. "Very good, lad!" His hands dropped to his side, right next to his Serperior. "What's your name?"

Ark was a little nervous, but again answered. "Ark, sir. Ark Strider."

"Well, Ark Strider..." He started walking through the group and into the first room on the left, as the secretary had said before, followed closely by his companion. "Since you were the last one to arrive, you will be the last one to choose your partner. Unfortunately for you, giving a good answer doesn't excuse you from tardiness."

Ark was expecting that was going to be the case. In fact, Ark was hoping for that to be the case. He decided a long time ago that he wanted to be the last one to choose, because then he wouldn't make any Pokemon feel unwanted. It was sort of a secret, but Ark looked up to Rein. Or at least the Rein that loved and cared for everyone and every thing. That was the man Ark hoped to be.

"Hey!" The unnamed girl yelled to Ark from a distance. "Quit spacing out and get in here! I saved you a seat!"

Ark let out a nervous cough and blushed a little more. "Coming!" He called back. But before he could move forward, the girl was there in front of him. She took a quick grab of his hand and rushed to pull him into the room. The other kids and their parents had already taken their seats in a small auditorium-like room in front of a projector screen. The nameless girl dragged Ark quickly to a pair of seats behind the rest of the room. They sat down, the lights went out, and a quick flash of light illuminated the room with an image of a Pikachu on the screen.

"This world is inhabitted far and wide by creatures we call Pokemon." Cedar quoted. "Today, you are here to become trainers, skilled in the art of battle. However, there are many fields to Pokemon, such as breeding, grooming, and of course research." The slide changed to an image of the fabled Team Rocket. "These days, since the disappearance of Rein Natsume, many organizations have begun to return, and new ones are being created every day." He pointed to the girl next to me. "Can you name the group on the screen?"

"Team Rocket." She replied without any hesitation.

"Very good." He replied. "Now can you tell me why it's important to know this organization?"

"Because, Professor, they were a highly notorious band of criminals who heavily influeced the organized crime of future teams with unrealistic ideals and intentions of global domination. To be ignorant of Team Rocket is to be ignorant of history and the essential root of crime." She said intellectually.

"Excellent. And your name, miss?" He gestured toward her.

"Serina Grace, sir." She smiled.

Suddenly, another parent spoke up, this time a mother, questioning the professor yet again. "And why are our kids being judged for our answers when those two in the back are here alone?!"

"Ma'am. I was not finished acknowledging this young lady's competence and knowledge of highly important history." The Professor's eyes darted to the mother, who was seated next to her nervous looking child. "I'll thank you not to interrupt and look at the obvious."

"And that would be?" She snapped.

"That would be the simple fact that the two of them are none of your business. You are not their parent. You are not their guardian. And you certainly are not understanding that not every parent could attend, and those who chose not to attend have shown that they trust their children to be strong, independent individuals capable of speaking for themselves and be let out into the world to pursue their dreams. You, ma'am, have so far proven to me that you don't trust your child to think for themselves, and are teaching them to whine and complain when things seem unfair."

"Excuse me?!" She burst out.

"Please leave, ma'am, and try again next year. I do not believe, based on you, that your child is ready to embark on this journey. Good day." He hissed.

"Do you know who I am?!" She snapped back. "I'm..."

"You're someone who doesn't seem to understand that I don't care." He interrupted. "Please leave."

She exploded upward, ripping her son out of his seat by his arm and angrily dragged him out of the room. As for the rest of the room, no one else spoke. The professor was rumored ro be fairly tough on people, despite his kind demeanor. Ark felt he should have expected to see that side of him at some point, but now he was incredibly nervous.

"Now then..." The professor continued. "Excellent, miss Grace. Almost a textbook answer. Great work." He changed the slide yet again, and continued with his explanations, asking everyone questions and guaging who they were as people, as well as their knowledge of the world. Ark was sure that this was more for the kids than for him and Serina.

During the rest of the slides, the two noticed that the professor wasn't asking them anything else, mainly focussing on the children and their parents. So far none of the others had made the mistake of the last parent, and the professor kept his smile for almost the entire time. The two of them had stopped paying attention to what the professor was saying after about a half hour of reviewing information they both already knew, and instead began to converse with each other, asking such things as what their favorite Pokemon was, or which town they were looking forward to visiting most, among other things. Both of them seemed to hit it off well, but then suddenly...

"You two are sure enjoying yourselves, no?" The professor was standing at the exit to the room. "We finished with the presentation, but I would like to ask you two this question together." The door suddenly closed, and the three of them were alone. It took him a moment before he finally asked his 'one and only question'. "Hypothetically, let's say you do something that you felt would be a great step forward to the world, but in the end it creates a problem that it destroys that world. What would you do?"

The two of them looked at each other, and back to him. His look was grim, but at the same time hopeful. Serina was the first to speak.

"I would do my best to right the wrong and undo what I'd done, no matter what the cost." She said bluntly, again without hesitation.

"I would live with the consequences of my actions, sir. No matter how severe, I would take what the world would give me for my mistake." I said, just as bluntly as Serina.

The professor lowered his head and sighed, but raised it shortly after with a smile. "You would be surprised how hard it is for most people to give either of those answers. Congratulations!"

"I'm sorry. What?" Ark asked.

"You two are the only two that passed. Unfortunately, most children aren't able to understand what the world is like, or what it means to be a true person." Cedar shrugged. "At least in regards to what I asked."

Ark and Serina looked puzzled, but they were both too excited at that point to really think about it. All they knew was that they passed the professor's test, and were the only two to do it. That meant that they were about to receive their first Pokemon! The energy going through them was almost palpable. They erupted from their seats and rushed out of the room, with Professor Cedar following close behind.

The hallways were empty, all except for the Serperior following Professor Cedar. The feeling in the building then was bright and cheerful, despite the fact that there were no windows and florescent lights all along the ceiling. Even still, the professor seemed to be in good spirits. Ark and Serina felt more comfortable then, walking through the halls of the lab, than they did waking up in their own beds that day.

After a few twists and turns, the group of them finally arrived at the part of the lab that the professor kept his Pokemon for new trainers. The room was well lit by natural light, unlike the rest of the rooms in the lab, with a beautiful view of the mountains to the east, overlooking the field where the professor lets stored Pokemon out to roam and play.

Looking around the lab, it was easy to see how much the professor really cared for Pokemon. Pictures of the trainers he'd approved with their first Pokemon, smiling and prepared to embark, some old Pokeballs made by Kurt, the greatest Pokeball creator there ever was, among other personal effects, like pictures of himself in his younger years, with his Serperior, which was only a little Snivy then.

"Professor?" Serina asked, breaking away from the two and looking around on her own.

"Yes, Serina?" He looked over to her as she was admirring some of his computer equipment.

"I think there's a hole in this theory you're proposing..." She glanced over to him quickly, then back to the screen.

The professor's eyebrow raised as he took a couple quick steps toward the computer, his oversized coat catching a bit of wind as he moved.

"It says here that based on Rein's theory of Pokemon genetic makeup that there's no way to reverse the effects of splicing on children born to a parent with spliced DNA. However, theoretically, wouldn't it be possible to separate the genes of the two separate organisms comprising the fused subject? For example, a child is made up of the DNA of both parents. Theoretically, wouldn't it be possible to reconstruct the original, human DNA of the subject and separate it from the Pokemon DNA?" She asked inquisitively.

"Unfortunately, I don't quite see your hypothesis as a hole so much as I see it as a theory us scientists have ruled as being impossible." He bent over to the keyboard and began openning new files to better explain his research. "As you can see in this report, the DNA of every person is unique, regardless of being what is essentially a combination of two different people. One slightly different trait exists within every individual, human or Pokemon, and because of that one simple detail, de-splicing a child born as a Combine is deemed at this point impossible. We unearthed this discovery a very long time ago, but we've continued to do extensive research on the subject. Unfortunately no advances have been made since the discovery." The professor closed the files and stood himself upright again. "But I do like your inquisitive mind, Serina. I believe I have the perfect partner for you to take on your journey." He turned and began walking toward a small pedestal stationed in the middle of the lab under a very bright light.

Ark hadn't been paying any attention to the two of them talking. He was more of a history person, and was more fascinated seeing the collection of awards and antiques. He was feeling that himself and Professor Cedar might actually have a little bit in common, and could maybe be good friends one day. But when he saw the professor walking toward the pedestal, he regained focus and paid close attention.

"This will be of great help to you in your pursuit of knowledge, Serina." Cedar walked around to the opposite side of the pedestal to face the two, then began typing on a small computer terminal.

The two new trainers watched in awe as a jolt of electricity burst from the middle of the machine, arcing upward to meet the other end of the device dangling from the ceiling. With a bright flash, a loud crash, and silence following thereafter, on the device rested a single Pokeball. The professor, with a beaming smile on his face, willed Serina to come and claim it. Without hesitation, the pink haired girl proudly accepted her new partner and released it from its ball.

She turned around, held the ball straight out in front of her. A bright red light, followed shortly after by a flash of white, emerged from the opening container, and just a few feet in front of her rested on the floor. A blocky, blank-eyed Pokemon sat just barely off the floor. Without a doubt, this was the man-made Pokemon known as Porygon.

The smile on Serina's face grew even more when she saw it. Ark didn't think too much of it, but she was beyond excited for some reason. Ark guessed that Porygon was really good for computer work or something, but computers weren't really his thing. He was still happy for his new friend, however.

"Thank you, Professor!" She loudly proclaimed as she knelt down to greet her new partner.

"You're very welcome." He smiled. "It's not very good for battling, but I can tell that you're more of an intellectual. Porygon is well suited for the acquisition of data, which I'm sure you more than anyone will appreciate."

She turned her head toward him with a smile and a quick nod of agreement. "Of course! Knowledge is the real power of the world, after all!"

The two of them chuckled a bit, while Ark remained patient in anticipation of his new partner. But was he going to get to choose for himself, or was the professor going to assign him one himself, as he just did for Serina? Either way it didn't matter. He was ready to accept anything.

"Fortunately for you, Ark, no one else passed my test. Otherwise, you wouldn't be getting a partner of your own today." The professor looked over to Ark with a somewhat serious face. "And this one..." He punched in some keys and the process repeated. On the pedestal rested a ball, meant for Ark. "This one is actually very special." He willed Ark to step forward and take it.

Ark did just that, but he noticed immediately that the ball on the machine was off. It wasn't the standard red and white of a usual Pokeball, but instead it was gold on top and silver on the bottom, with an engraving of the letters 'G' and 'S' just above the button used to release the Pokemon. Ark grabbed it carefully, not sure what to make of it. He looked puzzlingly at the professor, who only smiled and gestured to go ahead.

"Alright..." He said with a slight crack of nervousness.

Ark turned, the same as Serina, pressed the button, and a silver flash of light burst from the ball. On the floor in front of him rested his new partner. A small little creature, white and black, curled up into a ball, seemingly asleep. Ark had never seen something like this before. It was covered in fur, and very small, but the patterns of its fur... Ark had only seen them on one Pokemon before.

"Oh good!" The professor called from behind. "I wasn't entirely sure you would be able to open it!"

The two trainers quickly shot back a look of confusion to the professor, who was seemingly very proud of himself for some unknown reason.

"Let me explain... That ball there is called the 'GS' ball. So named because of it's obvious color choice. It was once a ball that couldn't be opened, until it made its way to the hands of Kurt, the Pokeball creator, by none other than Ash Ketchum. Kurt succeeded in opening the ball and releasing the legendary Celebi back into the world, but after that the ball was able to be converted and reused. It was kept at a museum, however, as there was no other like it in the world, until one day, 50 years later, it was stolen. Rein Natsume, when he was still a good guy, tracked it down many years later, and to his surprise the ball hadn't yet been used. As thanks, the museum allowed him to keep the ball. Rein, however, was fascinated by it, and chose to use it to catch that very Pokemon. But Rein, being as protective as he was, modified the ball yet again to only be able to be opened by his own genetic signature. After his disappearance, the ball was eventually uncovered, and I began working on recreating his DNA to release the Pokemon within the ball. I was missing something, however, and couldn't do it myself, but it would seem that you were able to open it just fine!"

The two of them looked almost dumbfounded by the explanation they were just given. It was almost too unbelievable. But one question stood out more than any other.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but what were you missing?" Ark asked.

"I really couldn't tell you, Ark." He shrugged. "I match his genetic code perfectly, but there was something else, I suppose. Whatever it was, you had it."

He turned back to the black and white ball of fur on the floor. "As long as I get to leave on my journey, I guess it doesn't really matter!"

Ark bent down to greet his new friend. The ball of fur didn't move. Ark still wasn't quite sure what it was, but he leaned forward and nudged it a little bit, trying to wake it up. But the little thing didn't budge at all. It stayed firm and continued to sleep.

"It's a Riolu..." Ark said quietly. "But... This color... It's completely different from what a Riolu should be..."

"That's probably because it was an experimental Pokemon for Rein..." Serina said quietly. "You know he did a lot of things involving genetics... Perhaps this was one of them?"

"It's a possibility." The professor shrugged. "But does it really matter? After all, in these days we as a people are becoming more and more tolerant of those who had genetic experiments done to them. This little guy is probably really happy to be out of the ball after so long, but also very likely scared depending on what happened to it. I think it's best if you try to be as kind and friendly as you can to it, Ark."

"Well it's not like I would hurt the little guy!" Ark shot back. "And besides that, I think it's really cool! It's like his fur is his own signature! Like me and my awesome scarf!"

Just as he finished talking, the Riolu stood up and gave Ark a look down. It leaned forward and began to sniff, then backed away with an angry look on its face. It dropped its head to the side and extended its paw toward Ark, proposing a handshake.

The group was a little surprised for a second, but then Ark smiled and gladly took Riolu's paw into his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Glad to meet you, Riolu!" He smiled. "Are you ready to go kick some butt!?" He asked, with a little more enthusiasm than Riolu seemed to like.

"Well, I'm glad you two are both satisfied with your new partners." Cedar commented happily. "Now I think it's about time we all went and got you your gear and sent you on your way. I don't like keeping you new trainers any longer than necessary."

"All right!" The two of them said together excitedly, picking up their new Pokemon and once again rushing out of the room, followed closely by the professor and his own companion.

The two of them raced with joy toward their next stop given to them by the professor. So far, the day had been nothing but great, and the two of them were already hitting it off. Ark hadn't expected to make a new friend so soon, especially not one so cute. But he was absolutely ecstatic to have such a special Pokemon to be his very first. Absolutely, without a doubt, this was going to be the journey Ark had always hoped for. They were only a hop, skip, and small jump away from setting out on their quests now, and their excitement would only continue to grow.


End file.
